Twenty minutes a day is all her teacher asks of her. Couple of homework pages, some spelling words, and twenty minutes of reading make up the weekly schoolwork routine for Rainbow Girl. To make sure we don't lag behind on her reading requirements, it helps when you have some text that reall engages the kid, keeps them interested, excited, and anxious to turn the next page. This week, the book that has consumed my kids has been this one:
Literacy puts a whole new spin of involvement with the beloved JCPenney Toy Catalog. Rainbow Girl pored over each page and then wrote out her official "Christmas List". Here she is showing one of her favorites on the list: Microscope Mega-Screen.
It reminds me of when I was a kid. The JCPenney book was always getting stuck on the page with the two-person cars for kids. I dreamt of driving around Apache Avenue free of menacing pedal-power. The widow with the full cookie jar, Mrs. Hyde, I could drive right up to her front step and relive the glories of Halloween every day of the year. I could always count on getting some sugar from her house, along with a shoulder-wrenching hug. Mrs. Hyde, the Archibald's next door, my best friend Beth, they'd all become my #1 fans. Me and my car...I'd be the coolest kid on Apache Avenue.
So I couldn't help bust up laughing when Rainbow Girl started reading off her own Christmas List. Here's her list in all it's phonetic glory:
Pink ipod
telascop
computer
(by this time, Mrs. Olsen is laughing her head off. "Nice try kid". But wait, it gets better)
camera
Dough-Na-matic
Marshmallow Blaster
buble gum masheen
phone
Julre Box
neclise
bracelet
ring
cottin candy Masheen
electric gutar
Play Kichin
Play farm with animals
Green Dragon
Mrs. Olsen: You were just telling me all you wanted was Pet Shop stuff.
(Rainbow Girl scrambles to the list and returns with 2 more additions)
100 Pet Shops
a cat
You know, I never got that car I drooled over year after year in the JCPenney catalog. But looking back, there are no heart-breaking disappointments I can recall during my Apache Avenue Christmases. So I think Rainbow Girl will be alright not winning the kid lottery this Christmas.
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2 comments:
I didn't think they even HAD those little cars when we were kids. Oh, wait--did Marshall have one? He had everything.
I recall the glories of the Christmas catalog--I always wanted an E-Z Bake Oven. My mom, typically, thought it was a waste of money. She wanted to teach me to bake with the regular oven. "Puh-lease, Mom. That's so not cool." So then I went down to Marshall's house and played with HIS E-Z Bake Oven. (My mom was right, as per usual. The E-Z Bake Oven WAS a waste of money.)
Wendy
Wendy, they did indeed have those cars when we were kids. I always wanted one, but never even asked for one. I knew it was way out of my league even then.
I am loving that Marshmallow had an EZ Bake Oven. He is now officially the princess of Apache Avenue.
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